Following bereavement

Following Bereavement

The loss of a loved one is a particularly difficult and confusing time. It can be hard to know where to start.

We're here to help and support you and your family and make any dealings with us as simple as possible.

Call us on 0345 300 0522

You can call us between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Write to us at:

Mortgage Admin Team YBS Group Peterborough Business ParkLynch WoodPeterboroughPE2 6WZ

First steps

There are so many difficult aspects to deal with and decisions to make following the loss of family or a friend. We can help make things a little easier, by assisting you with organising financial matters and making those first steps.

1. Register the deathYou'll need to register the death at any local registry office (within 5 days in England and Wales and 8 days in Scotland). For Government advice on how to register a death and to locate your nearest registry office go to www.gov.uk/register-a-death. Once you've registered the death you will be given a death certificate. It's probably worth asking for a few copies as this could help you deal with some of the more practical matters quicker.

2. Make funeral arrangementsIt's important to say goodbye and a Funeral Director should be able to guide you through all of your options for arranging a funeral. Citizens Advice recommends finding a Funeral Director through a professional association, such as the National Association of Funeral Directors.

3. The WillYou'll need to find out whether or not there is a will. If you do not know, the deceased's solicitor and bank are good places to start and there's more advice here: www.gov.uk/find-persons-will.

What you will need to do.

N&P mortgage accounts

At this time, the most important thing to be aware of with a mortgage account is that the mortgage payments must still be made, even when a borrower has passed away.

If you think you may have difficulty making the mortgage payments, you can call our Mortgage Admin Team on 0345 300 0522. They'll put you through to a colleague who will be able to help you work out a payment plan. They'll also be able to provide specific advice relating to the type of products held.

Once you have registered the death, you will need to provide us with an original or certified copy of the death certificate. Post this to our Bereavement Team (address details are listed to the right).

What happens after the death has been registered?

If a will has been made: We'll need to see the original Grant of Probate (after the death has been registered) so that we can note the Executor(s) names on our records.

If there's no will: We'll need to see the original Grant of Letters of Administration. The account will then need to be repaid, either from:

The sale proceeds of the property

The proceeds of a life insurance policy.

What address will you write to?We'll then write to the Personal Representative(s) of the deceased at the borrower's property address to inform them of the process. Please note we'll only be able to send information about the mortgage to the Personal Representative(s) once they have provided evidence that they are authorised to deal with the administration of the estate. In some cases and with our consent, the property and the responsibility for the mortgage may be transferred to another person.

If there's a joint mortgage, we'll need to see the original or certified copy Death Certificate. The deceased borrower's name will then be removed from the mortgage. This means that the other owner is then solely responsible for repaying the mortgage.

Property OwnershipHow property ownership is dealt with depends on whether the property was held as joint tenants or as tenants in common.

Joint Tenants: The deceased's interest in the property will automatically transfer to the other owner(s).

Tenants in Common: When borrowers hold a property as 'Tenants in Common' (where each borrower has a specific share in the property) the deceased's share will not pass automatically to the other borrower. Once the death has been registered, you'll need a solicitor to help deal with the deceased borrower's share of the estate.

FAQs

The Mortgage Admin Team is your first point of contact and they are able to assist you with any questions you have. For some queries relating to mortgage payments they may put you in touch with a specialist in those areas, however they will still be your dedicated support.

If a Power of Attorney/Court of Protection Order has been registered on an account this is no longer valid on the death of the account holder. This means that the person who held the authority isn't able to operate or access the deceased's account(s) anymore.

Norwich & Peterborough Building Society, N&P and N&P Commercial Mortgages are trading names of Yorkshire Building Society. Yorkshire Building Society is a member of the Building Societies Association and is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Yorkshire Building Society is entered in the Financial Services Register and its registration number is 106085. Principal office of Yorkshire Building Society: Yorkshire House, Yorkshire Drive, Bradford, BD5 8LJ

References to 'YBS Group' or 'Yorkshire Group' refer to Yorkshire Building Society, the trading names under which it operates (Chelsea Building Society, the Chelsea, Norwich & Peterborough Building Society, N&P and Egg) and its subsidiary companies.

This site is intended for UK Residents unless otherwise stated.

All communications with us may be monitored/recorded to improve the quality of our service and for your protection and security. Calls to 0345 numbers are charged at the same standard network rate as 01 or 02 landline numbers, even when calling from a mobile. Calls to 0800 numbers are free of charge from a landline or mobile.